I often find myself, in pitches or when speaking to clients, explaining that social media is a study in psychology. The formula for virility, or the secret to shareability, is something of a myth if you ask me. While we know the basic tenants of good content, the extent to which that content is shared is much more to do with the thought processes of the social audience.

Not a week goes by without an SEO “expert” casting doubt on the future of links and link building. Some go as far as to claim that link building and links are dead/dying. Recently, John Mueller of Google ventured into the link punditry territory. His comments on link building “doing more harm than good” were partly taken out of context causing a stir in the SEO community. The whole debacle illustrates the confused state of the SEO industry. Are links still potent ranking factors? Will they continue to be?

The purpose of social media campaigns is to ultimately convey a message. From branding and sales, to raising awareness – social media is a powerful tool for spreading the word. This month two such campaigns have stood out, as a method of increasing awareness around sometimes sensitive subjects.

In a world filled with instant gratification and effortlessly consumable information, it could be argued that the written word is losing out. The digital industry is saturated with memes, gifs and ‘listicles’, so where exactly is the place of the beautifully crafted sentence, if there is one at all?

Online shopping may be about to fundamentally change. Google is thought to be working on a ‘buy button’ that would allow shoppers to purchase products through its search results pages with a single click. By doing so, Google could take ownership of the entire online shopping experience.

With 2015 fast approaching, it is once again the time of year where by our wonderful staff at Greenlight scry the skeins of time and bring out our inner futurologists. If you're thinking about simply replicating your digital marketing strategy from 2014 this year - then don't! The digital sphere is forever changing, and in order to continue reaching your customers it is imperative you follow the trends and stay ahead of the game.